Athletics Rumors

Odds and Ends: Holliday, Takahashi, Lincecum

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 4:00pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

Richard Justice says the Astros should offer Andy Pettitte $7-8MM to come back.
Joe Christensen doesn’t see Huston Street landing in Minnesota.
Larry Beinfest dismissed a "cyberspace rumor" that the Marlins are planning a run at Manny Ramirez.
Gordon Wittenmyer says the Cubs could fit both Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster into the payroll, and that the Peavy situation will be resolved first.
Today is the deadline for MLB.com’s Free Agent Frenzy. You have until 4pm CST to submit your picks for 15 free agents. Here are my predictions from November 3rd…I would change the Furcal and Sheets ones for starters.
Who had the Matt Holliday scoop? SI.com’s Jon Heyman broke the story, while Yahoo’s Tim Brown was the first to name the players involved.
Holliday figures to be a three to six month rental for the A’s. Over at FanGraphs, Dave Cameron takes a closer look at Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Rockies received a "fair return" for Holliday.
Athletics Nation suggests the A’s sign Derek Lowe.
Ken Davidoff looks at the Yankees’ seesawing philosophy.
Japanese southpaw Ken Takahashi intends to sign with an MLB club, and the Mets may be interested. Nikkan Sports says the Cubs, Padres, and Giants are also in on him.
River Ave. Blues looks ahead to Derek Jeter’s next contract.
Andrew Baggarly reminds us that Tim Lincecum intends to go year to year.
ESPN’s Buster Olney talked to one GM who expects "a whole lot of bargains" in late January, given the nation’s economy.
Rany Jazayerli didn’t like the Royals’ acquisition of Mike Jacobs, but doesn’t think it’s the end of the world.
Braves GM Frank Wren on Jeff Francoeur: "We haven’t talked about him at all. It’s not to say that we wouldn’t."

Brown’s Latest: Furcal, Manny, Abreu

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 7:35pm CDT

Tip of the cap to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, who was the first reporter yesterday to name the three players the Rockies would receive in the Matt Holliday trade. Now let’s take a look at Brown’s latest column.

Brown believes everyone cleared their physicals in the Holliday deal, so expect news conferences soon. He says the A’s may add a couple more hitters, possibly Rafael Furcal and/or Jason Giambi.
Brown says Jim Bowden is promising everyone the Nationals will be in on the Manny Ramirez bidding. With Josh Willingham, Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena, and Willie Harris already under team control, where does Manny fit in? Bowden has already said he plans to use Willingham as an outfielder.
The Yankees have yet to contract Bobby Abreu. They still figure to offer him arbitration, of course.

Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Zaun, Blanco

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 5:00pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

Scott Bordow feels the D’Backs and Randy Johnson should meet at $5MM, which still seems light.
David Murphy explains why the Phillies make more sense than the Mariners for Jamie Moyer, geographically.
David Ortiz would like the Red Sox to add a 30 home run bat.
Richard Justice wants the Astros to sign both Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte. He says the Cubs and Cardinals will be talking to Pettitte even though his heart is with the Yankees.
El Lefty Malo recommends the Giants sign Derek Lowe. The Giants are at least considering the big-ticket free agents.
Jeff Blair runs through a few options for the Blue Jays if A.J. Burnett leaves.
Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun is not pleased with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.
The D’Backs want Miguel Montero showcased as a catcher.
Ken Davidoff has a list of nine intriguing (and older) free agents.
Joel Sherman joins Buster Olney in saying Brian Giles vetoed a trade to the A’s in August, after the Red Sox won the claim and failed to make a deal. How is this possible?
Geovany Soto expects Henry Blanco to re-sign with the Cubs.
Tony Massarotti looks at possible trade partners for the Red Sox.

Matt Holliday Trade Roundup

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 4:45pm CDT

It seems that the Rockies will send left fielder Matt Holliday to the A’s for Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, and Huston Street soon (assuming Smith’s elbow checks out). While the A’s were rumored to be in the mix for Holliday, the trade still comes as a surprise to most. Let’s round up today’s links on the topic.

Nick Cafardo says the Red Sox were briefly involved in talks for Holliday.
ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Beane first engaged the Red Sox on Jason Bay before moving on to Holliday.
Troy Renck says Holliday is flying to Oakland today to meet with team officials. Garrett Atkins hopes the Holliday trade keeps him in Colorado.
Dave Cameron thinks Holliday can hit around .300/.380/.500 for the A’s.
Athletics Nation considers this a message that the A’s are trying to compete in ’09, and expects more additions. They also believe Billy Beane will take stock in July and decide whether to trade Holliday or keep him all year and take the draft picks. I agree on both points.
Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post have scouting reports on the players Colorado will receive.
Depressed Fan tries to get a handle on Beane’s motivation for the trade.
Holliday’s dad would like to see his son join the Yankees.

Olney: A’s Nearly Acquired Giles

By Tim Dierkes | November 10, 2008 at 10:02am CDT

Interesting note from Buster Olney’s Sunday blog post:

San Diego nearly dealt Brian Giles to Boston and later to Oakland during the season, and it stands to reason that this winter the Padres will approach Giles about waiving his no-trade rights to facilitate a trade out of San Diego. (As of Saturday evening, they had not done this.)

We knew that Giles vetoed a trade to Boston and would’ve probably done the same if the Rays won the claim. Olney indicates that Giles was nearly dealt to the A’s later during August, which is confusing given that Boston won the claim and failed to make a trade.

Giles now has full no-trade powers as a 10-and-5 player, and apparently receives a $2MM raise if dealt. He revealed new information regarding his Boston veto on Friday. He would’ve spent significant time on the bench for the Red Sox, and the Sox would’ve turned around and traded him this winter. Furthermore, staying with San Diego allowed Giles to secure the 10-and-5 rights. He seems more open to a deal now: "If it would help our organization get better, I’m not saying I would veto a trade."

Indians Rumors: Shoppach, Roberts, Street

By Tim Dierkes | November 7, 2008 at 4:51pm CDT

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the Indians’ offseason needs.

With Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach, Carlos Santana, and others, the Indians have a surplus of catching (and mad guitar skills). The Red Sox, Marlins, Reds, and Tigers are known to be in the market, so maybe the Indians can deal a catcher to fill another need. Those other needs: an infielder, a late inning reliever, and a starter.
Hoynes believes the Indians will fall short of meeting the demands of free agents Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Rafael Furcal.
Hoynes implies the asking price for one year of Brian Roberts is Fausto Carmona and Asdrubal Cabrera. That won’t work for the Tribe; they are looking to add a starter. They might have the same problem if they try to acquire Garrett Atkins.
As we’ve heard, the Indians are in on Huston Street.
Hoynes tosses out a couple of possible free agent bargains that may come with the necessary price break: Joe Crede and Jason Isringhausen.

Mets Revamping The Bullpen

By Tim Dierkes | November 7, 2008 at 1:11pm CDT

The Mets’ primary focus this winter is to completely revamp their bullpen. Ken Davidoff and Joel Sherman outline Plan A: free agents. Names in the mix: Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, Joe Beimel, Juan Cruz, and Chad Cordero. Sherman figures the Mets are in a good position because most of the other big-market teams aren’t looking for a closer.

Plan B: trades. The Mets have already discussed Bobby Jenks with the White Sox. J.J. Putz, Huston Street, and Kevin Gregg are the other names. It all depends on how much young talent Omar Minaya wants to sacrifice.

As a corollary to Plan B, the Mets want to ship out Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis. They hope to clear payroll and/or bring in other relievers in these trades. Davidoff says Heilman has plenty of admirers.

Another note from Sherman – the Mets "could be interested" in Jason Varitek if the price comes down but Varitek doesn’t re-sign with Boston. In another article, Davidoff lays out Plans A, B, and C for both the Mets and Yankees.

Latest On Rafael Furcal

By Tim Dierkes | November 7, 2008 at 8:50am CDT

According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers have a two-year deal in mind for free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal. SI.com’s Jon Heyman recently said their offer was in the two-year, $25-30MM range. His agent is looking for four years, and says ten other teams have expressed interest.

Heyman believes the Orioles and Royals may be suitors, though Furcal may be out of the Royals’ price range. The Tigers are out, but the Cubs, Giants, Blue Jays, and A’s are in.

Mets Rumors: Fuentes, Cordero, Delgado

By Tim Dierkes | November 6, 2008 at 5:18pm CDT

5:18pm: More on the Mets: Ken Davidoff says they’re shopping Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, and Pedro Feliciano. The A’s, Rays, and Rangers are fans of Heilman. The Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, and D’Backs were also tossed into the mix by Adam Rubin, though the D’Backs haven’t had recent talks. The Mets would be willing to pick up some of the $3.6MM owed to Schoeneweis next year.

4:58pm: Brian Fuentes’ agent Rick Thurman calls the below rumor of an offer to the Mets a "total fabrication."

10:56am: Checking in on the Mets…

Tracy Ringolsby says Brian Fuentes’ agents proposed a four-year, $44MM deal to the Mets. Ringolsby heard the Indians and Cardinals don’t want to go beyond two years. The Mets also met with Francisco Rodriguez’s agent.
The Mets are considering free agent Chad Cordero, who is coming off July shoulder surgery.
GM Omar Minaya seems willing to spend big money on a closer and one starter, and then fill the other starting spot cheaply. The Mets could, say, sign Derek Lowe and trade for the affordable Edwin Jackson. The Mets haven’t exchanged names yet for Jackson.
Ryan Dempster and Jon Garland may be on the radar, as Minaya met with their agent yesterday. Dempster’s agent said he can handle New York.
Carlos Delgado approached the Mets late in the season about an extension for 2010, but they decided to pass. Delgado wasn’t bothered by this.
Ken Davidoff adds that the Mets have let scout/former Bulls GM Jerry Krause go.

Matt Holliday Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | November 6, 2008 at 5:10pm CDT

5:10pm: Joe Strauss says the Cards are in on Holliday; Ryan Ludwick could be part of the package. Strauss says the Cardinals would have interest in signing Holliday to an extension. Tracy Ringolsby says the Cardinals have taken an aggressive approach, and also mentions Ludwick. He adds that GM John Mozeliak would need ownership approval to acquire Holliday.

4:53pm: The latest on Matt Holliday: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Phillies are the most aggressive suitor. The Phils do have the goods to get it done, especially with the suggestion this morning that the Rockies might be willing to take a bit less.

Meanwhile, Troy E. Renck continues to suggest the Phillies and A’s are the most likely suitors for Holliday. He reiterates that the Rockies are open-minded on the return.

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